RC Banger Racing is category that isn’t well known in Belgium, but it’s really popular in the UK. 1/12th scale cars with mechanic speed controllers (two-speed) and brushed motors racing on an oval track to get as much laps as possible. One tiny difference with normal racing: contact is allowed. When you see 30 to 50 RC Banger cars racing eachother in the videos online, you just want to get into the fun.

Ipswich Oval Racing Club

Ipswich Oval Racing Club (UK)

We’ve asked the Ipswich Oval Racing Club to do a small interview about RC Banger Racing. They’ve been around since 1996 and meet every Friday evening around 6.30pm.

What makes RC Banger Racing a fun category of RC?

IORC: RC Banger Racing is fun for everyone of all ages and abilities. It allows everyone to both race with a smooth drive or to crash their oponent, often proving fun esepcially for families!

What do you need to get started in RC Banger Racing?

IORC: To start RC Banger Racing, you need to contact Kamtec, LargeIT or Mardave for a 1:12th scale banger setup and you’re ready to go!

Do you need to have any experience in RC to get started?

IORC: No experience needed at all! Just grab a handset/remote and away you go! We even have a 2 year old who races at Ipswich Oval Racing Club.

How did your club got started?

IORC: Ipswich Oval Racing Club was started on 4/3/1996 by a group of men who had been travelling down south to enjoy racing with others. The sport was very small back then but now there are clubs within a few miles from where you live in the UK it seems!

What’s the main audience for this type of racing at your club?

IORC: Our main audience is usually children from approx. 7 years to grown men at 50+ years. We have two people with cerebal palsy and are wheelchair users, one amputee who only has one arm/hand plus myself, Chair of the club, doing as much as possible who is also a wheelchair user. We have children of all ages involved aswell as adults of any age. It really is great fun for everyone!

Do you have any advice for people who want to get started with RC Banger Racing?

IORC: My advice for people who are interested is to find their local club and go along a couple of times and try someones car, get a taste for it… I guarantee you’ll get the bug for it! Anyone in RC Banger Racing will chat with you and explain whats what and how things work. Keith at Kamtec, Large at LargeIT and Chris at Mardave are all great and will advise on how to get started and what you need. Hope to see you soon if you’re reading this!

RC Banger Kits

Good news! The car kits are very cheap and easy to build and repair. For about £99 you get a complete Kamtec SWB (short wheel base) Banger Kit, including a rolling chassis, servo’s, speed controller and motor. Even a ABS body shell of your choice is included. The only thing you need are batteries, a radio and receiver.

Kamtec SWB Banger Kit (£99)

Building the Kamtec SWB Banger Kit

All parts come in seperate plastic bags so that it’s easy to find the components you need during the build. Included is a clear building manual that is divided in 12 stages that show you exactly where every part goes on the car.

Kamtec SWB Banger Kit – parts

The build starts with mounting the wishbones on the 3mm aluminium chassis, together with the other support standoffs to mount the topplate and motor mount. It’s important here to not tighten the nuts on the standoffs too much, as this will deform them.
Next up is the servo. Drill out the middle holes on the sides of the servosaver to the width you need to insert the steering balls and secure them with a locknut. Before mounting the servosaver, it’s advised to center the servo first. This way you don’t need to disassemble it when connecting everything for the first time. Once that is finished, you can mount the servo to the chassis with the servo mounts.

Kamtec SWB Banger Kit – chassis and standoffs

Then we build the front wheel steering out of the stub axles, kingpins, springs, e-clips and ball joints. I used the middle holes to mount the ball joints, as the servo has more than enough range to max out the steering. Mount the turnbuckles onto the ball joints and we finished up the steering part.

Kamtec SWB Banger Kit – steering and suspension

Now that the front is finished, it’s time to work on the back of the car. The motor mount fits over the two screws we already assembled in the first part of the build. We then secure the motor mount onto the frame using the different parts (like O-rings) provided to dampen the movement of the mount.

Kamtec SWB Banger Kit – motor pod

On the back of the motor mount, we install the suspension springs. These might require some tuning depending on which track you race, but since all this is also new for me, I can’t give any advise yet.

Kamtec SWB Banger Kit – rear suspension

The top plate comes pre-assassembled and fits easily over the standoffs we mounted earlier. Before mounting the top plate, first screw on the body posts. Then secure the top plate with locknuts, easy as that!

Kamtec SWB Banger Kit – top plate

We move to the back one more time to fit the axle, bearings, spur gear and spacer. The whole part will align like it should when mounting the wheels to the axle. The mounting of the wheels is done with locknuts, so do not overtight them as this will block the wheels from moving and possibly damage the thread on the axles. Next up are the two other body posts that go onto the front of the car.

Kamtec SWB Banger Kit – tyres

The motor needs to be soldered to the two wires coming of the speed controller. After you are sure the wires are soldered correctly, you can mount the motor using the two screws provided. Put a piece of paper between the pinion gear and the spur gear and fasten the screws. Normally, this gives you the right play between the two gears.

Kamtec SWB Banger Kit – motor and gears

And you’re done! This car takes about 20-30 minutes to fully assemble, easy as that!

If you’re interested in RC Banger Racing, feel free to join the Facebook group for Belgian and Dutch drivers.